State Library offers investing education program to rural libraries

The State Library of Iowa has received a 98-thousand dollar grant to set up programs in 25 rural libraries to teach people about investing. Sandy Dixon is overseeing the program and says the libraries will receive books and D.V.D.’s on investing.

The libraries will also place more information on their websites, and the biggest piece of the program are classes taught at the libraries by experts from Iowa State University Extension. Dixon says this allows the participants to do work on-line, while also getting in-person instruction. She says they picked a financial area where they thought more resources were needed.

She says there are 19 projects across the country and each one is a little different. Some programs are focusing on youth and basic finance, but she says in Iowa they chose to focus on the rural program, as people in rural areas don’t have as much access to these types of programs. Dixon says the program provides education on the issue that people know they can trust.

Dixon says the resources they will use are neutral information, that is objective not sales information. Dixon says they are asking libraries to apply for the program and the state will chose 25 to participate. She says they will put the word out to libraries and they will have to meet some criteria. The libraries need to have a meeting room for the classes, they need to have public computers and they need to put additional information on the website.

They will announce the 25 libraries in March. The funding for the program comes from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the American Library Association.